Three Different Spindles. TWO different kingpins.

   1951 to 1984?

ALL can be used and swapped around as you please AS LONG AS YOU USE THEM
IN MATCHED PAIRS (right and left).

   1951, 1952, and I'm told, part of 1953 (mid-year change? or
Sedan/Coupe difference?) production used the 1951 spindles.  The OTHERS
used the 1953 and later spindles.  

    The ride height was changed by moving the "lathe centers"  used for
turning the spindle wheelbearing area.  1951 spindles will RAISE a cars
nose about 1 to 1-1/2 inch.  It used to be a rodders trick to use a late
1953 on up set of spindles on a Bulletnose to lower the front for a
better looking rake. 

    How to tell the difference-
In order to attach the steering arm to the spindle, Studebaker drilled a
tapered hole and fitted the arm into the tapered hole with a nut.
Picture the centerline of that drilled hole (or the centerline of the
steering arm nut- same thing) Now picture the centerline of the spindle,
or better the centerline of the wheel bearings. If the spindle
(wheelbearing)  centerline is exactly on the same horizontal plane (same
height) as the steering arm nut, then you have the higher ride height
1951 1952 spindles.  IF the spindle centerline is ABOVE the centerline
of the steering arm nut, then you have the DROPPED AXLES that Stude used
from mid 1953 up to and including 1984 Avanti.  

   1951 1952 and part of 1953 had high ride height.  1953 to 1984 had
dropped axles.

    Somewhere around 1959 1960 or somewhere in that neighborhood, Stude
changed the "twist" in their kingpin forging.  There was no change in
the spindle at the time.  The difference in the "twist" at the outer
upper  a-arm pivot was to give it a different caster setting.  You can
find out what year they changed by looking up the wheel alignment specs
and noting when they changed the caster numbers.

     When Stude came out with disc brakes they milled A FLAT SPOT on the
back of the spindle where the disc bracket was bolted, but continued to
use the same kingpin and spindle except for the flat spot difference.  

    IMPORTANT NOTE--  ANY spindle and ANY kingpin can be mated together,
but IT IS IMPORTANT to have a MATCHED PAIR.  I have found a couple
not-so-good handling, impossible to align cars where the cause was a
DIFFERENT KINGPIN on the other side!  VERY hard to track down. It drove
us nuts for a while.  

    IMPORTANT NOTE--  While the original Bendix disc brakes required
that flat spot on the spindle forging,  Both the Turner Mustang brakes,
and my bigger Super Brakes  (my Big Mopar and my GM 12 inch Police
brakes) do not care whether or not that flat spot is there.  This means
that if you are using the Turner brakes or my SteelTech Solutions Inc
brakes,  You Can Use ANY earlier Stude spindles or kingpins to repair
you Avanti.  You DO NOT have to search out the scarce disc brake
spindles..  Ain't that nice??    
in a  few weeks or so (I
hope).  IF somebody reminds me to do it.  I guess I should have saved
   About a year ago I posted the pics, and how to tell the differences
just at a glance, on the Alt-Stude  Newsgroup, but 
i didn't keep a copy.  
if anyone finds out they do need some pics, I suppose I can take some
more pics when I do my next batch of brakes 

David LeVesque
======================
AFAIK, there are no dropped spindles available, but I could be wrong.
The time-honored way to achieve a lower stance is to cut the lower
control arm and form a pocket for the spring seat. Cut the spring seat
out, add a circular band of the appropriate gage of sheet steel and
weld back, so that the sprng seat is an inch lower than before. That
will give you more than 1" at the wheel.

Since the control arm is a mild steel stamping, it can be cut and
welded safely, I believe.

Gord Richmond
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